As you know, immigration is not the speediest of processes. There are always delays. It is unfortunately something that we’re seeing across the board. Immigration is trying to make it a little bit speedier and more efficient.
One of the most recent things that has come out has been for the I-90s.
If you are a green card holder, meaning you are already a lawful permanent resident, the I-90s are used to renew your green card if that green card is about to expire.
Please note that all the information that we give here is general information but it is not legal advice. If you want legal advice about your case specifically, we always recommend speaking to a licensed professional or an attorney about your case because there are different nuances and different things.
This is for those who have been permanent residents for some time and it’s time to renew that green card. In the past people, who file their I-90s would get usually a 12-month extension letter meaning that receipt notice would also come with a 12-month extension because they knew that it would take them a little bit of time to get through all the applications and to approve it and to actually send people their new green card.
People can file for the I-90 as well if they have lost their green card, misplaced it, or it has been stolen and they filed a police report. This is not for people who are trying to remove their conditions or who have gotten the two-year green card and are trying to get to the 10-year one.
USCIS decided to extend it to 18 months and so people would get a separate notice that now had an 18-month extension which is good. We do want these extension letters because these extension letters basically serve as proof of your continued lawful status.
The most recent notice is now that it is taking almost 24 months to actually have a green card approval and have them send the physical green card so that people can have it as well.
The positive side of it is that you have that extension despite the long wait time and because with that extension, you can definitely continue working. It’s continued proof of your lawful status in case you were asked for it.
Unfortunately, the negative side of it is that it seems like they’re going to be taking almost two years to actually renew your green card. With the pandemic, it started even more delays and it’s been a snowball effect since then we just keep seeing these delays and these delays get longer and longer.
One way that you can try and overcome this delay is if you possibly try and apply for citizenship. If you think you qualify for citizenship and you’ve been holding out, right now might be the time. It’s very possible that some people might apply for citizenship and get their naturalization oath ceremony before they even get the green card two years later.
Even though naturalization can still take around a year or so sometimes longer just depending on the specific field office, it’s very possible if somebody gets their citizenship before they even get their green card when they try to renew it.
